Tissues are well known in the art. Tissues, such as facial tissues, are commonly used for blowing one's nose, cleaning tasks, etc. Tissues can also be used as paper towels for wiping, cleanup tasks, etc. Tissues, and their packaging, must be inexpensive and disposable, to be widely consumer accepted. Tissues may be supplied dry, with lotion, or moistened. Such tissues are typically generally rectangular in shape and supplied in discrete sheets. Tissues are typically supplied in a generally parallelepipedly shaped box or dispenser. The dispenser has an opening, typically at the top, through which individual sheets are removed by the user.
Early tissue dispensers were of the "reach-in type." The user had to insert his or her fingers through the dispensing opening, grasp a tissue, and pull it out through the dispensing opening. Examples of reach-in dispensers, and improvements thereto, can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,021,002 issued Feb. 13, 1962 to Guyer; commonly assigned 3,576,243 issued Apr. 27, 1971 to Trunick; and 4,458,810 issued Jul. 10, 1984 to Mahoney.
Over time, the desire for increased convenience led to sequential or pop-up dispensers. In a "pop-up" dispenser, a tissue usually extends through the dispensing opening to an elevation above that of the dispenser package. The user simply grasps the exposed portion of the tissue, without the necessity of inserting fingers through the dispensing opening. In pop-up dispensing, each tissue has a leading portion which is first to pass through the dispensing opening, and a trailing portion which later passes through the dispensing opening. Typically the trailing portion of a first tissue to be dispensed overlaps the leading portion of the next tissue to be dispensed. The overlap is measured generally parallel to the direction of withdrawal of the tissues through the dispensing opening. The overlap is usually, but not necessarily, the same for each tissue and constant throughout the width of each tissue. As the first tissue is withdrawn by the user, the leading portion of the next tissue is pulled through the opening, for later dispensing.
Typically the sequential withdrawal of the succeeding tissue through the dispensing opening occurs due to interfolding of adjacent tissues. The tissues are folded against one another in a variety of configurations, so that the friction of the trailing portion of the withdrawn sheet against the succeeding sheet pulls the leading portion of the succeeding sheet through the dispensing opening. Examples of various interfolding arrangements are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,007,605 issued Nov. 7, 1961 to Donovan; 3,172,563 issued Mar. 9, 1965 to Harwood; 3,679,094 and 3,679,095 both issued Jul. 25, 1972 to Nissen et al.; commonly assigned 3,881,632 issued May 6, 1975 to Early et al; 4,859,518 issued Aug. 22, 1989 to Schutz; and 5,118,554 issued Jun. 2, 1992 to Chan et al.
However, apparatuses for interfolding are both complex and expensive. Purchasing the apparatus represents a significant capital outlay which is ultimately passed on to the consumer of the interfolded tissues. Even when interfolding is properly accomplished, the tissue to be dispensed frequently falls back through the dispensing opening. This problem is exacerbated with relatively tall dispensing packages which are often consumer preferred for economy sized packages. The usable height of the dispensing package is often limited to the length of the overlap of the interfolded tissues. This limitation occurs due to the leading and trailing portions of adjacent tissues unfolding inside a package taller than the overlap, then the second tissue falls back into the package.
Potential solutions to the fallback problem result in additional expenses when trying to dispense interfolded tissues. For example, the prior art has suggested outlining the dispensing opening, to prevent improper dispensing. Yet other attempts in the art have disposed adhesive on the film outlining the dispensing opening. Still further attempts in the art replace the film with paper, for environmental reasons. Of course, such film, adhesive, and paper all represent yet additional costs which are passed on to the consumer of the interfolded tissues. Examples of such attempts in the art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,007,605 issued Nov. 7, 1961 to Donovan; 3,239,097 issued Mar. 8, 1966 to Bates et al.; 4,200,200 issued Apr. 29, 1980 to Hein, III et al.; 4,681,240 issued Jul. 21, 1987 to Wyant; and 5,316,177 issued May 31, 1994 to Boldt.
Attempts to improve pop-up dispensing packages also include attachment of the tissues to the removable top of the box, so that the first tissue is pulled through the dispensing opening when the box is opened. Still another attempt in the art provides a lapping flap which allegedly holds partially dispensed sheets against falling back into the cannon. A commercially successful improvement is the dual mode dispensing package which allows for either pop-up or reach-in dispensing. Examples of such attempts in the art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,890,791 issued Jun. 16, 1959 to Wenzel; 4,574,952 issued Mar. 11, 1986 to Masui; and commonly assigned 4,623,074 issued Nov. 18, 1986 to Dearwester.
One problem frequently encountered in the pop-up dispensing packages of the prior art is the transition from the reach-in dispensing mode in which the product is shipped to the pop-up dispensing mode which is preferred by the consumer. The dispensing opening must be large enough to allow the consumer to reach his or her fingers therethrough to grasp the tissue and begin the pop-up dispensing process. However, the dispensing opening must be small enough to constrict the tissues dispensed therethrough, so that a tissue may be separated from the succeeding tissues.
One attempt to resolve the diametrically opposed needs for large and small dispensing openings has been to make a dispensing opening which is self threading. In these attempts, the large and small dispensing openings are interconnected such that the smaller dispensing opening is contiguous the larger opening. In these attempts, the user reaches through the larger dispensing opening, grasps the tissue, pulls it through the dispensing opening, and threads it into the smaller dispensing opening. The user then separates the grasped tissue from the succeeding tissue. When the succeeding tissue is needed, it is likewise dispensed and separated from the next succeeding tissue.
One significant drawback to this attempt is that the small opening does not provide sufficient frictional engagement with the tissues to prevent them from falling back into the package. This problem is exacerbated with relatively tall dispensing packages which are often consumer preferred for economy sized packages. The usable height of the dispensing package is often limited to the length of the overlap of the interfolded tissues. If the tissues are not interfolded, but rather are connected by perforations, the magazine of tissues in the taller package will eventually become depleted, or nearly so. As fewer tissues remain in the bottom of a tissue package, a greater portion of the tissue hangs from the dispensing opening to the top of the magazine at the bottom of the package. When this occurs, the weight of the free portion of the tissue increases, making it more likely that the frictional engagement with the dispensing opening is insufficient to prevent the tissue from falling back into the dispensing package. When fallback occurs, the user is frustrated by not only having to reach through the dispensing opening to retrieve the tissue and start the pop-up dispensing process all over again, but is doubly frustrated because the tissue is well below the dispensing opening, having fallen to nearly the bottom of the dispensing package.
Another attempt in the art uses large and small apertures at the ends of a slit-like portion. This particular attempt suffers from the drawback that the shape of both apertures is round.
Examples of such attempts in the art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,328,907 issued May 11, 1982 to Beard; and 4,848,575 issued Jul. 18, 1989 to Nakamura et al.
Yet other attempts in the art show a tissue box having three slits, a longitudinally oriented slit emanating from a large opening and which terminates at lateral slits. The longitudinal slit is flanked by two arcuately shaped peripheral slits in order to create hinges. The drawback to this arrangement is that the large wings formed by the hinges occupy an excessively large area of the top of the dispensing package. Yet another teaching in the art shows a dispensing opening tapering to a single slit which intercepts a second slit transverse thereto. However, this teaching does not show how to optimize the slits relative to each other, or relative to the rest of the dispensing opening. Examples of such attempts in the art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,526,291 issued Jul. 2, 1985 to Margulies, and 5,219,421 issued Jun. 15, 1993 to Tipping.
It is apparent there is a need in the art for a lightweight, portable disposable tissue package which provides the convenience of pop-up dispensing. It is further apparent there is a need in the art for a tissue package to allow for pop-up dispensing of tissues, but yet prevents the tissues from falling back through the dispensing opening. It is further apparent in the art there is a need for a relatively tall package which allows pop-up dispensing without allowing the tissues to fall back through the dispensing opening.